When choosing a personal Tarot deck, look for imagery that feels right to you. Hold the cards in your hands and look at the imagery of the entire deck noticing how it makes you feel. How does the artistic theme of the deck impact your thinking? If you are attracted to the imagery, if you feel a certain positive excitement, then it is probably a deck you should have. Imagery is the primary language of the soul, and the more you practice resonating with the artful images on Tarot cards, the easier it is to receive deep insights and inspiration from them.

Don’t get too hung up looking for the perfect deck. Often a Tarot enthusiast will collect many decks, each one containing a unique combination of archetypal imagery that inspires different themes.

The symbolic imagery on the cards is derived from many sources, including numerology, colorology, astrology and the Hebrew alphabet. The creator of each deck artistically expresses a personal perspective, and you will find that your intuitive responses will change depending upon the deck you are working with.

After you have a personal deck, and if you feel motivated to further your study of Tarot, I recommend the classic Rider Waite deck. It contains a wealth of symbolic imagery and is an excellent beginner deck because many contemporary decks are fashioned by using its symbols.Toni Gilbert is a certified holistic nurse with an education in art, psychology and transpersonal studies. She is the founding editor of the Alternative Journal of Nursing and has a private practice in transpersonal counseling. She published her first book, Messages from the Archetypes: Using Tarot for healing and spiritual growth, through White Cloud Press in Ashland, Oregon. She can be reached at (541) 327-7749 or through her web site www.tonigilbert.com.

If you are interested in Toni’s year-long course in Archetypal Tarot Counseling see more information at http://www.tonigilbert.com/schedule/